Bill O'Reilly Hearts Lila Rose's Crusade Against Planned Parenthood

Not content to rest on his laurels for his role in creating a climate of hatred in which abortion provider Dr. George Tiller was murdered, Bill O'Reilly has taken up the cross and media sword to promote the latest "sting videos" done by radical, anti-abortion rights activist Lila Rose. Ms. Rose's latest video seeks to advance the bogus, "pro-life" lie that sex selection abortion is rampant in the US. Not coincidentally, the new teabagging US House, which was sent to Washington to enforce fiscal responsibility and government accountability, will be voting on a bill to ban sex selection abortions. Rose's video is yet another bogus attempt to "prove" that Planned Parenthood is engaging in illegal activities and should be shut down. But it has been endorsed by her fan Bill O'Reilly who seems to be the national, media mouthpiece for the radical anti-choice group that seeks to deny health care to millions of low income women. Bill's interview with Lila, earlier this week, was a platform for Bill and Lila to advance the "pro-life"agitprop. Last night, Bill continued the propaganda and in so doing, continued to validate Lila's lies. He's already received praise from the pro-life crazies. Maybe he's hoping for another "Courage Award."

Bill's "Talking Points" began by noting that Planned Parenthood endorsed President Obama less than a day after his show broadcast a "shocking story" about a Planned Parenthood employee's advice to a woman (in this case one of Lila's actors) seeking a sex selection abortion. He played a segment of Rose's video after he made this very incendiary and misleading statement:

Bill: "Now, there is no question that Planned Parenthood is a pro-abortion outfit which has been in trouble for years. Undercover videos have documented underage abortions, abortion advice associated with prostitution, and now gender-based abortion guidance."

Reality: Planned Parenthood provides low cost reproductive health care to millions of low income and poor women. They offer cancer screenings, STD testing and treatment, and birth control. ONLY 3% goes to abortion services. So "pro-abortion outfit?" Only in the sense that it supports a woman's right to a safe and legal abortion.

Reality: As far as Planned Parenthood being "in trouble for years," Bill didn't specify what this "trouble" is. They have been the subject of numerous complaints by the "pro-life" community. But as far as real time criminal culpability, there have been no criminal investigations, let alone prosecutions and convictions. In fact, the Justice Department declined to prosecute Planned Parenthood as a result of Rose's sting operation which purported to show Planned Parenthood aiding and abetting sex trafficking.

Reality: Lila Rose's doctored videos haven't "documented" anything. Her hoaxes have been debunked. Planned Parenthood reported the alleged sex traffickers. And if O'Reilly's reference to "underage" Planned Parenthood clients is from Rose's questionable tape of the clinic in the Bronx, Planned Parenthood said that the actors presented as adults and that if there had been an underage girl, she would have been screened for possible abuse.

After ranting about Obama's pro-choice positions, he cited the Gallup data that shows a majority of Americans identifying as "pro-life." He didn't mention that the poll shows that the majority still favor keeping abortion legal. After reading Planned Parenthood's quote concerning gender bias, he said that the Texas Planned Parenthood, in the recent video, "admitted a mistake." He didn't note that the worker was terminated. He reminded his viewers about the taxpayer money that goes to Planned Parenthood.

Lila Rose once said that "we live in a culture war." As such, it's only right and just that culture warrior-in-chief, Bill O'Reilly, raise his vorpal sword in her defense!

Addendum: Bill O'Reilly has a daughter. One assumes that she will be told that she must abstain from sex until marriage. But Catholic girls sometimes get into a little "trouble" (And the ones in my high school were the ones in the Sodality!). If she needs to remedy the situation, one assumes that she will have the best gynecologist. In other words, she won't have to walk the gauntle of Bill O'Reilly inspired zealots who seek to shame and harass women - just like Bill!

Lila Rose’s attempts at gotcha videos suffer from the same problem as James O’Keefe’s pranks – they are built from the assumption of the problem and then designed to fulfill their own hypothesis.

O’Reilly was told repeatedly last night that the employee on the tape had been fired, and that one person saying something out of line should not be used to impugn an entire organization.

O’Reilly’s worst part of this was when he was politely told by two female guests that this is a bogus issue – and that there are real healthcare issues that women have concerns about which people like Lila Rose always ignore. O’Reilly became visibly frustrated with his guests and began waving his arms to dismiss their statements. His clear idea was to pigeonhole the women into saying yes to his thesis that “this conduct in the video by Planned Parenthood is bad, and shows a problem happening there” – which would of course allow him to then say that his guests had endorsed the GOP attack to defund PP. His guests were smart enough to avoid making such a statement, instead putting the emphasis back where it should be – womens’ health.

O’Reilly ended the segment, after telling one of the guests he would give her the last word, by cutting the women off and repeating his own thesis since he couldn’t get the women to do it. All in all, this was a pretty shocking display by O’Reilly of, well, misogyny…